Typhoon Jangmi exits PAR; still enhances southwest monsoon, says PAGASA

Typhoon Jangmi, locally called Domeng, exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Monday noon but is still enhancing the southwest monsoon, which will bring heavy rains over the eastern section of the country in the next few days, according to the state weather bureau.

The typhoon exited at 11:30 a.m., the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a Facebook post.

PAGASA will provide the latest location of Jangmi by 5 p.m., but as of its 11:00 a.m. bulletin, it was located offshore, 710 kilometers northeast of Itbayat, Batanes.

It slightly weakened as it continued to move northward near Okinawa, Japan, at 20 kilometers per hour (kph), with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gustiness of up to 150 kph, based on the bulletin.

Although Jangmi is not directly affecting any part of the country, it is still enhancing the southwest monsoon, bringing heavy rains over areas in the eastern section of the country, PAGASA said in a separate 11:00 a.m. media briefing.

“That is why starting today until tomorrow noon, we can expect heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon,” PAGASA weather specialist Charmagne Varilla said in the briefing in Filipino.

She noted that affected areas include Zambales, Bataan, and Occidental Mindoro, where 50 to 100 millimeters of rain are expected.

The same rainfall intensity is expected over Zambales, Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Metro Manila, Cavite, Batangas, and Occidental Mindoro from Tuesday noon to Wednesday noon.

It is likewise expected over La Union, Pangasinan, Zambales, and Bataan from Wednesday noon to Thursday noon.

PAGASA said that at 50 to 100 millimeters of rain, localized flooding is possible in urbanized, low-lying, or near-river areas. Landslides are also possible.

The agency advised the public in affected areas to brace for the potential impacts of the southwest monsoon enhanced by Jangmi. — Edg Adrian A. Eva